Stories for November 13th 2017

Argentina's Acindar steelmaker is currently working at 70% of its installed capacity, which is 1.7 million metric tons of crude steel and 1.4 million mt of finished steel. In 2016, Acindar produced 962,000 mt of steel products. Expectation for 2017 is that it will reach 1.1 million mt, resuming good levels for the company.

Queen Elizabeth watched on for the first time in her 65-year reign as Prince Charles led Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Last month it was announced by Buckingham Palace that Queen Elizabeth asked the Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne, to take on the symbolic duty for the country to honor the country’s war dead.

The European Union's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, says he is planning for the possible collapse of Brexit negotiations with the UK. Barnier was talking to French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche days after giving the UK a two-week deadline to clarify key issues.

European business leaders will meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May later on Monday to voice concerns about the future of UK-EU trade. Experts from groups including the CBI and Business-Europe will stress the need for a transitional deal that preserves the status quo after Brexit.

The European Union and Mercosur are close to concluding a free trade accord after decades of fitful talks, an EU official said. “We’re that close to having a new association and trade agreement between EU and Mercosur,” European Commissioner for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen said, holding his index finger and thumb just slightly apart.

An IMF visiting team in Buenos Aires concluded its annual review of Argentina's economy and praised the efforts of President Mauricio Macri's nearly two-year-old government to transform the economy saying it has yielded significant gains, but also warned that risks remain.

DYNASAFE Bactec recently returned to the Falkland Islands to continue demining operations, namely the completion of Phase 5a by March 18. “The break of around 10 weeks has allowed us all to recharge our batteries to finish these remaining tasks,” said Project Manager Julius Unsung.

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has said regional elections next month in Catalonia will help end separatist havoc in the northeastern region. Rajoy addressed a campaign event on Sunday on his first visit since imposing direct rule on the region a fortnight ago.